Welterweight Khonry Gracie will have all eyes on him Saturday, when the son of UFC legend Royce makes his professional debut at Bellator 192.
A familiar name will be appearing at Bellator 192 on Saturday in Los Angeles. Khonry Gracie, son of the legendary Royce Gracie, will be making his pro debut that night. He’ll be taking on Devon Brock, a fighter also making his professional debut. Yet it’s the Gracie name, of course, that will attract attention.
An admitted adrenaline junky, it’s little surprise to see Khonry making the transition to the sport. Yet aside from his famous father, is there any fighter this young athlete particularly admires?
“Douglas Lima” was Gracie’s answer. Lima, of course, is Bellator MMA’s current welterweight kingpin, and will defend his title against Rory MacDonald on Saturday. “I really like his fighting style. He almost reminds me a little of myself, he’s just taller.”
As a Gracie, it’s safe to say that Jiu-jitsu was a big part of his life growing up. As he explains it, “I started at my house, actually, we have mats at our house. So I started since I could walk, rolling with my dad. And then As I grew up, I started going to gyms, and this and that.”
Crucially, however, “it was never forced on me, it was more of a fun thing to do. I enjoyed doing it, and I carried it on to today.”
Just who has Khonry Gracie been training with ahead of this bout, aside of course from his famous father and other members of the Gracie clan? “For boxing purposes, I’m sticking with Freddie roach and his right-hand man Marvin. I’ve been training with them a lot for my standup game” he told Cageside’s Gabriel Gonzalez. “And I’ve been doing kickboxing with one of my dad’s blackbelts. That’s my standup game, I have a wrestling coach also, so we’re mixing a lot of things in there.”
With all the talk about legacy, given Khonry’s famous lineage, what is he looking to get out of Saturday’s debut? For him, it’s all about the win.
“Who doesn’t want to win. You don’t train to lose. So obviously I want the win” he said. “It would be nice if it came from a submission, but I trust my coaches will have prepared me for any situation that comes. If he wants to stand up the whole time, lets do it. If he wants to go to the ground, I can do that too.”
Check out the full chat with Khonry Gracie below.
Bellator 192 takes place Saturday, January 20 at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA. Khonry Gracie faces Devon Brock as part of the preliminary card, airing free via bellator.com
